Zongman, Rebirth of the Heaven-Defying Kirito

Asuna couldn't help but take a deep breath of fresh air, a surprised smile spreading across her face.

Just then, she noticed a familiar black figure waving at her from under a tree not far away.

"Hey~ Over here!" Kirito's voice came through, tinged with anticipation.

Asuna hurried over, eager to share her feelings: "This place is so beautiful, like a forest from a fairy tale! Did you call me here just to see this?"

Her eyes sparkled; she clearly adored the forest.

Kirito smiled and said, "I'm glad you like it, but there's another reason I invited you here."

"What?" Asuna asked curiously, her eyes filled with anticipation.

"It's a secret, you'll find out when the time comes." Kirito deliberately kept her in suspense, then took Asuna's hand: "But now, while there's still time, let's hurry and set off!"

Asuna was suddenly pulled by him and almost stumbled. She quickly steadied herself and said, "Wait... I understand, please slow down!"

"We can't slow down, we have to go even faster!" Kirito didn't slow down, but instead pulled Asuna along and sped up, running towards the depths of the forest.

Kirito didn't actually know the exact location of the cabin; he only remembered that there was a lake near the cabin in the original story.

However, this clue was enough for him to continue his search.

Asuna obediently followed behind Kirito without complaining at all about being suddenly pulled away.

As she ran, she couldn't help but feel the natural atmosphere of the forest. Occasionally, when she saw a cute monster in the distance, she would excitedly point and shout, "Kirito, Kirito, look at that dragonfly! Its head is made of cherry!"

Kirito looked in the direction Asuna pointed, and there was a [Natural Dragonfly].

The dragonfly's head was indeed a bright red cherry, but its body looked like a tree branch.

Seeing Asuna's curiosity, Kirito instinctively gripped the hilt of his sword and said, "Asuna, wait here for me. I'll be right back. Those cherries must taste pretty good..."

But as soon as he took a step forward, Asuna grabbed his black coat from behind.

Asuna looked at him incredulously, her tone slightly coquettish: "Dragonflies are so cute, why do you want to eat them?"

Kirito paused for a moment, then looked at Asuna's serious expression and couldn't help but laugh. He then released his grip on the hilt and sheathed his sword: "Okay, whatever you say, let's continue inside."

The two continued deeper into the forest, encountering many new things along the way, during which Asuna would express her delight and surprise.

What was originally a hurried journey became exceptionally heartwarming because of these little incidents.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the two unknowingly arrived deep in the natural forest.

Asuna stopped and looked at the still dense forest ahead, and couldn't help but ask, "Kirito, have we not reached our destination yet?"

Kirito said somewhat embarrassedly, "Actually, I don't know the exact location either..."

Asuna wasn't angry. She simply looked around and her gaze fell on a particularly tall tree not far away.

That tree was at least thirty or forty meters tall, much taller than the surrounding trees.

Her eyes lit up, and she pointed to the big tree, suggesting, "Why don't we climb up that tree and take a look? Maybe we can find our target more easily that way."

Kirito also thought the suggestion made a lot of sense: "It's a good idea, let's do it!"

Without further ado, Kirito leaped high onto a thicker branch.

Just as he was about to continue climbing to see further, the tree trunk beneath his feet suddenly began to move!

A pair of aged and majestic eyes slowly opened in the center of the tree trunk. The previously still branches instantly came to life, dancing wildly and striking towards Kirito.

Asuna, looking down, could see clearly that these weren't trees at all; they were clearly monsters disguised as trees—the [Guardians of Nature].

So she quickly called out a warning: "Kirito, watch out!"

Kirito turned to Asuna with a confident smile: "Don't worry, these can't hurt me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Kirito moved forward instead of retreating, nimbly weaving among the dancing branches.

Those seemingly fierce branches became the best stepping stones in his eyes.

Soon, Kirito reached the top of the tree, stood on the highest branch, and looked around.

In the distance, a vast blue lake comes into view.

Tongren was overjoyed and immediately jumped down from the top of the tree.

As he fell, he pulled out the Explainer from behind and, from top to bottom, like Tom chopping down a tree, fiercely struck the trunk of the Guardian of Nature!

The sword light descended from above, and Kirito cleaved a tree more than 30 meters tall in two with a single sword strike!

The monster's massive body swayed, its health bar instantly emptied to zero, and then it turned into countless data fragments, dissipating into the air.

Asuna immediately went to greet her, her face full of concern: "How are you? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine." Kirito couldn't help but laugh, pointing to the side as he said, "And we've found our destination."

The two walked side by side for about ten minutes.

The surrounding trees began to thin out, and the view suddenly opened up—a large, crystal-clear lake suddenly appeared before our eyes!

The lake water was azure blue, and a gentle breeze rippled across its surface, while sunlight shone on the water, making it sparkle.

Asuna was instantly stunned by the beautiful scenery before her and couldn't help but exclaim, "So beautiful! So beautiful! I never imagined that such a place existed in SAO!"

She walked quickly to the lakeside, squatted down, and gently touched the lake water. The cool touch made her squint her eyes, her face full of ecstasy.

Kirito walked up to Asuna and said, "This place is indeed beautiful, but our goal is not this lake."

"Not here either." Asuna turned around abruptly, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Then I'm getting more and more excited!"

"Then what are we waiting for? The goal is right in front of us, let's go!" Kirito smiled, took Asuna's hand, and jogged along the lakeside.

Soon, they reached the other side of the lake.

A two-story wooden cabin stands quietly there, blending perfectly with the forest behind it and the lake in front of it, as if it had always grown here.

Kirito stopped and looked at the wooden house in front of him: "Even though we're always fighting monsters and doing quests in SAO, it's nice to find a quiet place together like this sometimes, right?"

Asuna nodded in agreement: "Even just being together quietly is fun."

Kirito turned around, looked at Asuna earnestly, his eyes full of anticipation: "Then...would you like to have a secret base that belongs only to the two of us?"

As they spoke, the two had already reached the door of the wooden house.

Asuna's gaze fell on the system notification that popped up next to the wooden cabin door.

House for Sale (20 Kel)

In an instant, she understood Kirito's urgency and mystery along the way; the surprise he had prepared was this lakeside cabin!

Thinking that the cabin is backed by a natural forest and has a clear lake not far in front, I can rest and chat with Kirito here in the future, away from the tension and fatigue of fighting monsters and leveling up.

Asuna's eyes lit up instantly, as if filled with starlight, and she shouted without hesitation, "Buy! You have to buy it!"